- Browse by Subject
Browsing by Subject "health policy"
Now showing 1 - 10 of 10
Results Per Page
Sort Options
Item Commercial Insurance Coverage Decline Associated with Affordable Care Act: What's Next?(Ohio Valley Society of Plastic Surgeons, 2017-02-15) Fielding, Stephen M.; Jerkins, David; Johnson, R. MichaelBACKGROUND: A key feature of the Affordable Care Act was the establishment of insurance exchanges and subsidies to assist Americans in obtaining affordable commercial insurance. This study was undertaken to determine whether this effort has met its goal. METHODS: A review of all patients requiring surgery for maxillofacial trauma at a level 1 trauma center was undertaken for time periods before the Affordable Care Act was passed (2008 and 2009), while partially in effect (2012), and after the establishment exchanges and subsidies (2014). Insurance statuses were recorded and rates of commercial insurance coverage during each period were compared. RESULTS: A total of 1,123 patients were included. Of these, 511 were treated before passage of the Affordable Care Act, 288 were treated in 2012, and 324 were treated in 2014. Before passage, 50.5% of patients had commercial insurance. This number was virtually unchanged in 2012. However, after the insurance exchanges and subsidies were established, the percentage of patients with commercial insurance fell to 36.73% (p = 0.004). CONCLUSIONS: Surprisingly, the establishment of insurance exchanges and subsidies through the Affordable Care Act was associated with a decline in rates of commercial insurance coverage. Trends in reimbursement patterns will need to be followed if the law is repealed and replaced.Item Cost-effectiveness of CYP2C19-guided antiplatelet therapy in patients with acute coronary syndrome and percutaneous coronary intervention informed by real-world data(Nature, 2020-10) Limdi, Nita A.; Cavallari, Larisa H.; Lee, Craig R.; Hillegass, William B.; Holmes, Ann M.; Skaar, Todd C.; Pisu, Maria; Dillon, Chrisly; Beitelshees, Amber L.; Empey, Philip E.; Duarte, Julio D.; Diaby, Vakaramoko; Gong, Yan; Johnson, Julie A.; Graves, John; Garbett, Shawn; Zhou, Zilu; Peterson, Josh F.; Medicine, School of MedicineCurrent guidelines recommend dual antiplatelet therapy (DAPT) consisting of aspirin and a P2Y12 inhibitors following percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI). CYP2C19 genotype can guide DAPT selection, prescribing ticagrelor or prasugrel for loss-of-function (LOF) allele carriers (genotype-guided escalation). Cost-effectiveness analyses (CEA) are traditionally grounded in clinical trial data. We conduct a CEA using real-world data using a 1-year decision-analytic model comparing primary strategies: universal empiric clopidogrel (base case), universal ticagrelor, and genotype-guided escalation. We also explore secondary strategies commonly implemented in practice, wherein all patients are prescribed ticagrelor for 30 days post PCI. After 30 days, all patients are switched to clopidogrel irrespective of genotype (nonguided de-escalation) or to clopidogrel only if patients do not harbor an LOF allele (genotype-guided de-escalation). Compared with universal clopidogrel, both universal ticagrelor and genotype-guided escalation were superior with improvement in quality-adjusted life years (QALY’s). Only genotype-guided escalation was cost-effective ($42,365/QALY) and demonstrated the highest probability of being cost-effective across conventional willingness-to-pay thresholds. In the secondary analysis, compared with the nonguided de-escalation strategy, although genotype-guided de-escalation and universal ticagrelor were more effective, with ICER of $188,680/QALY and $678,215/QALY, respectively, they were not cost-effective. CYP2C19 genotype-guided antiplatelet prescribing is cost-effective compared with either universal clopidogrel or universal ticagrelor using real-world implementation data. The secondary analysis suggests genotype-guided and nonguided de-escalation may be viable strategies, needing further evaluation.Item Exploring perceptions and experiences of patients who have chronic pain as state prescription opioid policies change: a qualitative study in Indiana(BMJ, 2017-11-12) Al Achkar, Morhaf; Revere, Debra; Dennis, Barbara; MacKie, Palmer; Gupta, Sumedha; Grannis, Shaun; Medicine, School of MedicineObjectives The misuse and abuse of prescription opioids (POs) is an epidemic in the USA today. Many states have implemented legislation to curb the use of POs resulting from inappropriate prescribing. Indiana legislated opioid prescribing rules that went into effect in December 2013. The rules changed how chronic pain is managed by healthcare providers. This qualitative study aims to evaluate the impact of Indiana’s opioid prescription legislation on the patient experiences around pain management. Setting This is a qualitative study using interviews of patient and primary care providers to obtain triangulated data sources. The patients were recruited from an integrated pain clinic to which chronic pain patients were referred from federally qualified health clinics (FQHCs). The primacy care providers were recruited from the same FQHCs. The study used inductive, emergent thematic analysis. Participants Nine patient participants and five primary care providers were included in the study. Results Living with chronic pain is disruptive to patients’ lives on multiple dimensions. The established pain management practices were disrupted by the change in prescription rules. Patient–provider relationships, which involve power dynamics and decision making, shifted significantly in parallel to the rule change. Conclusions As a result of the changes in pain management practice, some patients experienced significant challenges. Further studies into the magnitude of this change are necessary. In addition, exploring methods for regulating prescribing while assuring adequate access to pain management is crucial.Item Frontline interdisciplinary clinician perspectives on caring for patients with COVID-19: a qualitative study(BMJ, 2021-05-01) Rao, Hassan; Mancini, Diana; Tong, Allison; Khan, Humaira; Gutierrez, Brissa Santacruz; Mundo, William; Collings, Adriana; Cervantes, Lilia; Medicine, School of MedicineObjective To describe the drivers of distress and motivations faced by interdisciplinary clinicians who were on the frontline caring for patients with COVID-19. Design 50 semistructured interviews. Transcripts were analysed using qualitative thematic analysis. Setting A safety-net hospital in Denver, Colorado. Participants Interdisciplinary frontline clinicians including physicians, advance practice providers, nurses, respiratory therapists and paramedics providing inpatient hospital care to patients hospitalised for COVID-19. Results Fifty clinicians (32 women and 18 men) participated. Five themes with respective subthemes (in parentheses) were identified: depersonalisation and barriers to care (impeding rapport and compassion, focusing on infection risk at the expense of high-quality care, grief from witnessing patients suffer in isolation), powerless in uncertainty (inescapable awareness of personal risk, therapeutic doubt in a void of evidence, confronting ethical dilemmas, struggling with dynamic and unfamiliar challenges), overwhelmed and exhausted (burden of personal protective equipment (PPE), information overload and confusion, overstretched by additional responsibilities at work, compounded by personal life stressors, feeling vulnerable and dispensable, compassion fatigue, distress from the disproportionate impact on socially oppressed communities), bolstering morale and confidence (motivated by community and family support, equipped with data), and driven by moral duty (responsibility to patient care and community, collegial solidarity and collaboration, contributing to the greater good). Conclusion Frontline clinicians reported distress due to the challenges of PPE, uncertainty and powerlessness, new responsibilities at work and home, losing control of their schedules, grief from witnessing patients suffer in isolation and witnessing healthcare disparities exacerbated by this pandemic. Clinicians feel supported by their colleagues, families, and community and were driven by a sense of moral duty. Healthcare system should adopt strategies to minimise distress faced by interdisciplinary clinicians on the frontline of COVID-19.Item Health Information Exchange Use in Primary Care(2020-08) Apathy, Nathan Calvert; Harle, Christopher A.; Vest, Joshua R.; Blackburn, Justin; Adler-Milstein, Julia; Dixon, Brian E.The United States has invested over $40 billion in digitizing the health care system, yet the anticipated gains in improved care coordination, quality, and cost savings remain largely unrealized. This is due in part to limited interoperability and low rates of health information exchange (HIE) use, which can support care coordination and improve provider decision-making. Primary care providers are central to the US health care delivery system and frequently function as care coordinators, yet capability and HIE use gaps among these providers limit the potential of these digital systems to achieve their intended goals. I study HIE use in the context of primary care to examine 1) factors associated with provider HIE use, 2) the extent and nature of team-based HIE use, and 3) differences in HIE system use patterns across discrete groups of system users. First, I use a national sample of primary care providers to analyze market and practice factors related to HIE use for patient referrals. Overall, I find that only 43% of primary care provider referrals used HIE. Furthermore, I find substantial variation in HIE use rates across electronic health record (EHR) vendors. Second, I use HIE system log data to understand the breadth and depth of HIE use among teams, a care model underpinning primary care delivery reform efforts. I find that although use of HIE systems remains low, in primary care settings it overwhelmingly takes place in a manner consistent with team-based care workflows. Furthermore, team-based use does not differ in breadth from single provider HIE use, but illustrates less depth before and after visits. Third, I apply cluster analysis to 16 HIE use measures representing 7 use attributes, and identify 5 discrete user groups. I then compare two of these user groups and find user-level variation in volume and efficiency of use, both of which have implications for HIE system design and usability improvements. Ultimately, these findings help to inform how HIE use can be increased and improved in primary care, moving the US health care system closer to realizing the coordination, quality, and cost savings made possible by a digitized delivery system.Item Liability for Mobile Health and Wearable Technologies(2016) Terry, Nicolas P.; Wiley, Lindsay F.; Robert H. McKinney School of LawMost of the legal commentary regarding mobile health has focused on direct regulation leveraging existing laws and regulators such as HIPAA privacy through HHS-OCR or device regulation by the FDA. However, much of the mobile health revolution likely will play out in lightly regulated spaces bereft of most of the privacy, security, and safety rules associated with traditional health care. This article examines the potential for common law liability models to bridge these gaps (even on a temporary basis). Part II of this paper provides an introduction to the terminology used, and presents a brief typology of the apps appearing in the health care space. Part III discusses the potential liability of physicians and other health care professionals. Part IV discusses the potential liability of institutional health care providers such as hospitals (that, in many cases is dependent upon the finding of fault in an individual professional). Part V discusses the applicability of product liability to mobile health developers and vendors. Part VI explains some of the issues that may arise when patients or consumers seek damages following privacy or security breaches. The survey concludes by noting that regulation by litigation may be a significant force in the app and wearable space during a period of light regulation by traditional regulators. This is a conclusion that is unlikely to cheer either health care providers or app developers; given that the indeterminacy associated with common law litigation is only exacerbated when applied to novel or emerging technologies.Item Living well with kidney disease by patient and care partner empowerment: kidney health for everyone everywhere(Oxford, 2021-02) Kalantar-Zadeh, Kamyar; Li, Philip Kam-Tao; Tantisattamo, Ekamol; Kumaraswami, Latha; Liakopoulos, Vassilios; Lui, Siu-Fai; Ulasi, Ifeoma; Andreoli, Sharon; Balducci, Alessandro; Dupuis, Sophie; Harris, Tess; Hradsky, Anne; Knight, Richard; Kumar, Sajay; Ng, Maggie; Poidevin, Alice; Saadi, Gamal; Tong, Allison; Pediatrics, School of MedicineLiving with chronic kidney disease (CKD) is associated with hardships for patients and their care partners. Empowering patients and their care partners, including family members or friends involved in their care, may help minimize the burden and consequences of CKD-related symptoms to enable life participation. There is a need to broaden the focus on living well with kidney disease and re-engagement in life, including an emphasis on patients being in control. The World Kidney Day (WKD) Joint Steering Committee has declared 2021 the year of ‘Living Well with Kidney Disease’ in an effort to increase education and awareness on the important goal of patient empowerment and life participation. This calls for the development and implementation of validated patient-reported outcome measures to assess and address areas of life participation in routine care. It could be supported by regulatory agencies as a metric for quality care or to support labeling claims for medicines and devices. Funding agencies could establish targeted calls for research that address the priorities of patients. Patients with kidney disease and their care partners should feel supported to live well through concerted efforts by kidney care communities including during pandemics. In the overall wellness program for kidney disease patients, the need for prevention should be reiterated. Early detection with a prolonged course of wellness despite kidney disease, after effective secondary and tertiary prevention programs, should be promoted. WKD 2021 continues to call for increased awareness of the importance of preventive measures throughout populations, professionals and policymakers, applicable to both developed and developing countries.Item Physician understanding and application of surrogate decision-making laws in clinical practice(Taylor & Francis, 2016) Comer, Amber Rose; Gaffney, Margaret; Stone, Cynthia L.; Torke, Alexia; Department of Health Sciences, School of Health and Rehabilitation SciencesBackground: Although state surrogate laws are the most common way surrogate decision makers are identified, no studies have been conducted to determine physician understanding of these laws or how these laws are utilized during clinical practice. The purpose of this study is to better understand how surrogate decision-making laws function in practice. Methods: A cross-sectional survey of 412 physicians working in Indiana hospitals was conducted between November 2014 and January 2015 to determine physicians' knowledge of Indiana's surrogate decision-making law and physicians' approaches to hypothetical cases using the law in clinical practice. Results: Fewer than half of physicians (48%) were able to correctly identify all legally allowable surrogate decision makers. Of those physicians who knew the law, nearly all of them (98%) indicated that they would violate the law during clinical practice by allowing nonlegal surrogates such as grandchildren to make medical decisions. Conclusions: A majority of physicians endorse relying on surrogates who have strong ties to the patient but are not legally allowable in Indiana. It is possible that these decisions reflect sound ethical reasoning even though they are illegal. Due to the narrow construction of some state surrogate decision laws, physicians may be placed in the position where they must either choose to follow medical ethical principles or the law. To alleviate these issues, state surrogate decision laws need to be amended to include a broader list of surrogates, such as extended family and close friends.Item Prescriptions Sans Frontieres (or How I Stopped Worrying About Viagra on the Web But Grew Concerned About the Future of Healthcare Delivery)(2004) Terry, Nicolas P.This Article argues that the threat posed by rogue Internet prescribing and dispensing does not justify the level, style, and mechanics of current regulation. Current and emerging regulation may chill the development of lawful, efficient, necessary, and patient-friendly services and recommends alternate approaches. Part I of the Article sets out the key distinguishing features of the aforementioned initiatives and suggests that simple confusion between different and emergent models seem to be misleading legislators and regulators and imperiling patient choice. Part II discusses current regulation of Internet prescribing and dispensing and addresses the areas that most concern regulators. In the process, it examines the regulation of Internet prescribing by state licensing boards and the controversy surrounding transnational prescription dispensing. Parts III and IV of the Article then look beyond the current forms of Internet prescribing and dispensing to identify the stakeholders and critically analyze the regulatory themes that populate the landscape. These themes, including those labeled as uneasy federalism, under-regulation, and over-regulation, help us better understand the ways our legal and regulatory systems create disincentives to the adoption of new technologies or business models. Part V of the Article describes the steps necessary to maintain rigorous control over healthcare quality while avoiding disincentives to the provision of the next generation of effective and efficient healthcare.Item State policy environment and the dental safety net: a case study of professional practice environments’ effect on dental service availability in Federally Qualified Health Centers(Wiley, 2016) Maxey, Hannah L.; Norwood, Connor W.; Liu, Ziyue; Department of Family Medicine, IU School of MedicineObjectives To determine whether and to what extent the state policy environment for the dental hygiene workforce affects the availability of dental services at Federally Qualified Health Centers (FQHCs). Methods We examined data drawn from the Uniform Data System on 1,135 unique FQHC grantees receiving community health center funding from the U.S. Health Center program between 2004 and 2012. The Dental Hygiene Professional Practice Index was used to quantify variations in state policy environment. We then examined the influence of state policy environment on the availability of dental care through generalized linear mixed-effects models. Results Approximately 80% of FQHCs reported delivering dental services. We consistently observed that FQHCs with favorable levels of state support had the highest proportion of FQHCs that delivered dental services, even more so than FQHCs with extremely high support. FQHCs located in the most restrictive states had 0.28 the odds of delivering dental services as did those located in the most supportive states. Conclusions The state policy environment for the dental hygiene workforce is likely associated with the availability of dental services at FQHCs. The greatest proportion of FQHCs delivering dental services was found in states with policy provisions supporting professional independence in public health settings. Nevertheless, additional research is needed to understand the specific mechanism by which these policies affect FQHCs.